Find wrongful prosecutions by county.
All of the following cases are wrongful capital prosecutions carried out in North Carolina since 1989. They are instances in which the state prosecuted a person for a death penalty eligible murder, despite not having enough evidence to prove the defendant even committed the crime. Unlike the exonerees tracked by the National Registry of Exonerations, these defendants eventually had their charges dismissed or were acquitted by juries — but most spent years in jail and many lost homes, jobs, relationships, and their financial and emotional stability.
Brenda Copeland
Date of Arrest: 08/26/1998
Durham County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Katherine Guy
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/21/1999
Days in Jail: 190
Received Bond
Terri Louise Hinson
Date of Arrest: 11/20/1996
Columbus County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Joshua Cade Hinson
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/17/1998
Days in Jail: 61
Received Bond
Michael Keith Lee
Date of Arrest: 05/27/2003
Cumberland County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Veronica Ward
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/28/2008
Days in Jail: 1921
Leslie Arlene Lincoln - Detailed Profile
Date of Arrest: 09/19/2002
Pitt County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Arlene Lincoln
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/23/2007
Days in Jail: 1133
Received Bond
Jermaine Antoine Smith
Date of Arrest: 02/16/1996
Wake County
Race: Black
Names of Victim(s): Chasity Wilder, Ashley Wilder, Shatona Wilder, Rogedrick Wilder
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 10/17/1997
Days in Jail: 610
Time deliberated by jury: 2.5 hrs